Crispy, succulent calamari rings, coated in seasoned flour and quickly fried to crispy perfection. Budget 30 minutes to soak the calamari in milk. This helps tenderize them while taming their fish smell. It also allows the flour coating to better stick on the rings. Be sure to read the post for more tips!
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT5M
Rating
4.81 stars (202 reviews)
Keywords
Fried Calamari
Ingredients
1 pound frozen calamari tubes (thawed)
Kosher salt
½ cup 2% milk
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon dry oregano
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Grape seed oil as needed
1 lemon (cut into wedges to serve)
Categories
Appetizer
Cuisine
Greek
Italian
Mediterranean
Steps
Slice the calamari tubes into ¾-inch thick rings.
In a medium bowl, stir 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt in ½ cup milk.
Add the calamari rings to the milk mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, oregano, black pepper, and cayenne (make sure the mixture is well combined).
Prepare a large colander and set it on top of a large bowl. Using a pair of tongs, take a portion of the calamari rings (about ½ of them) shake off excess milk and toss the calamari in the flour mixture. Toss the calamari to coat evenly. Put the coated calamari in the colander. Repeat with the rest of the calamari.
Turn your oven on a low 150 degrees F. Prepare a large sheet pan and set a wire rack on top. Top the wire rack with paper towel.
Heat 4 inches of grape seed oil in a small cooking pot (I used a 2.5 quart pot) to somewhere between 350 and 365 degrees F. To test your oil, drop one calamari ring, many bubbles will form around it and the calamari will begin to float.
Once your oil is ready, using a pair of tongs, gently add some of the calamari in and fry for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the calamari from the oil and arrange it on the paper towel on top of your prepared wire rack. Immediately season with kosher salt, then transfer to your warm oven to keep warm while you work on the rest. Repeat until you have fried all the calamari.
Transfer the fried calamari to a serving plate and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 227.2 kcal
Carbohydrates: 35.8 g
Protein: 15.9 g
Fat: 1.8 g
Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
Trans Fat: 0.1 g
Cholesterol: 177.7 mg
Sodium: 273.4 mg
Reviews
Lemonia on 2026-02-22 (5 stars): Either you are an amateur, or a stand up comedian!
Evi on 2026-02-17 (5 stars): I fully understand your daughter's obsession 😀.....with fried Calamari! I haven't had fried calamari for a very long time....and now I have tried your recipe....it's delicious! Have made it twice already! On repeat from now on.😀
Angry squid on 2026-02-06 (1 stars): The batter just slid off leaving a naked squid. Unusable website ridden qith ads which make the screen jump around. Will actively avoid this website and the recipes.
Jojo Salvador on 2026-01-04 (5 stars): This is an easy recipe and most requested by my kiddoes when the craving for fried calamari hits! :)
Debbie on 2025-12-25 (5 stars): Made this for Christmas Eve and it was the best fried calamari I have ever made.
Thank you!
Rob Allan on 2025-12-07 (5 stars): Spot on
Deborah Conley on 2025-11-20 (5 stars): Fantastic. Well done!